Kelila
by A1Friend
Summary: Kelila is a simple jeweler in Erebor, she works hard and sticks close to her family. Lady Dis is her best customer, and someone she considers her friend. Not everything is as it seems, however; the king may just shake up Kelila's average life.
1. Chapter 1

Noise drifted into my ears, playing absently in my mind, and then drifted out. I could distantly hear the tinkering of tools on metal, the scrape of several grindstones, the chatter of many voices, and the occasional booming laugh. None of this caught my attention, however; I was entirely focused on the project before me.

I was hunched in my seat, my hair pulled back in a tight braid so it wouldn't fall into my face as I worked. I sat forward on my seat, at the edge and barely noticing how precariously I was balanced. There was an air of intensity around me, an aurora that told the others to keep away and leave me be, and they did. They knew better.

I dropped the tweezer from my hand, letting it fall on my desk as I worked the muscles in my hand. I rotated my wrist quickly, trying to release the tension from it. Once the cramp had subsided, I dove back in, wielding the tweezers with practised ease. Gently, very gently, I picked up a small diamond with them, the small thing shaped in a beautiful marquise cut. It was one of two, the first already having been placed in its home. I examined the pendant before me, a simple thing with only three stones, but it was lovely. The silver pendant wrapped eleganty around two, soon to be three, stones. In the center, a blood red ruby, taken from the mountain itself. On each side would rest the two small diamonds.

Simple, but elegant.

I placed the last diamond in its home, adjusting the prongs to keep it in place, then leaned back and examined my work. It still needed some final polishing, but other than that, it was done. The ruby was large, about the size of my thumb, and the cushion cut maximized the sparkle. Beside it, the two small diamonds. They were slivers next to the ruby, but they were not the focus. Despite their size, they reflected a vast amount of light, and made the ruby even more defined. It was a fine little piece, if I did say so myself, and I knew the lord who ordered it would be pleased. Being a minor lord, it was not as extravagant as some of the other jewelry I made, but I felt that it would uphold the good name of my family.

"Finally done?" a voice called from my left. I turned, seeing my cousin leaning back at his desk. He smiled crookedly, his teeth a glimmer of white in his beard. "You've been working on that all day."

I laughed, "Well some of us have to do work around here!"

"You do plenty for the both of us," he grinned. With a careful look around he leaned back further and propped his boots on his desk. "You could do with a break, I'm sure grandfather wouldn't mind."

"Well I'd call this a break."

"This isn't a break! This is me distracting you from doing your work, and even now you haven't stopped!" he gestured down to my hands where I was absentmindedly polishing the pendant with a cloth. I grinned sheepishly. "Go to the library, or, Mahal forbid, go outside for once."

I laughed good-naturedly, "You know I'm far too busy to do any of that! As you said, I do the work for both of us."

He groaned, ready to badger me more about the finer things in life -namely relaxing- when his chair was tipped back and he fell to the floor with an ungraceful _thunk_. "Perhaps if you followed your cousins lead, Korach, she would have time for a break."

Korach rubbed the back of his head as he sat up, " _Grandfather_ ," he whinned, "I do work!" Our grandfather glared pointedly at the pile of material on Korach's desk. "I'm almost done with that," Korach rushed.

"That was supposed to be done a week ago," Grandfather said, a stern look on his face. "If it's not done by the end of the day I shall have to keep your pay."

Korach gasped and stared up at him as I laughed merrily. We all knew Korach was saving up for a commissioned sword, something he had dreamed up himself and was adamant that he have it made. Though he was a poor swordsman now, he swore that with this sword he could become the best, as if it had the magical powers to make him better. I had promised that if he had the sword made I would inlay it with his favorite stones, and while I thought it may look a bit preposterous, he was convinced that swords with gems would soon be the biggest item we sold.

I shook my head at their antics. "I'm sure you can finish it today Korach, it's not the most complicated piece," I teased. We playfully glared at each other while out grandfather laughed.

"Get to work Korach," he rumbled, his deep voice softened with laughter. "Kelila," he paused, looking over the pile of projects on my desk. "Don't help him."

I nodded my head in agreement and turned back to my work, hearing his boots klunking as he walked away. As soon as I knew he was out of earshot I turned to Korach. "Need any help?"

Korach grinned and beckoned me over, asking my opinion on which design he should do. I pulled my chair to his desk and we discussed the various features that were asked for and leafed through the drawings on his desk. As slow as Korach was to get started on his work, when he finished it was worth the wait. Like his mother, he had a knack for design, and while his follow-through lacked, there were many who specifically asked that he have a hand in their orders.

I picked two out of the pile and scrutinised them. "This is a gift for Lady Dita, is it not?" Korach nodded, waiting for my decision. "I'd go with this one, she likes rounded edges more than square, I think she requested a princess cut once but found she didn't like it, she asked for it to be replaced with a round one." I deliberated again for a short while. "Maybe this one too," I said, motioning to one sitting in front of him. "She'd like the circular arrangement of the small stones."

Korach nodded and took the two I suggested in his hands, focusing on them as I pulled my chair back over to my desk. For the first time in a long time I looked at the pile of unfinished work and didn't want to do it. Maybe Korach was right, maybe I needed a break. I picked up the pendant in my gloved hands -we always wore gloves to keep our jewelry from getting smudged- and I took it with me to the front of the store.

Our building was divided, the front being a showcase of our work and also where we dealt with clients, the back separated by a heavy wood and metal door, where we made everything in our shop. Unlike most buildings in the market, our store rose to the second level as well, a tall flight of personal stairs leading from the back to the second story. That was where most of us lived, myself and my family. My grandparents had always been jewlers, the best in all of Middle Earth some said, and as far as I knew all of my ancestors before us were too. Our reputation really took off when my grandparents married, however; my grandfather being a well renowned silver and goldsmith and my grandmother having an expert ability to cut stones. They made a name for themselves, here in Erebor before the dragon, and the moment it was reclaimed we came back. I was born barely before Smaug attacked, and all I ever remembered before from Erebor was the gleaming halls full of life.

As with all my family though, I felt like this place had always been my home.

At the front of the store I wandered to my mother's desk. She was one of the few who worked mostly at the front of the store, her skill with jewelry paralleled only by her skill with dwarves. She could speak easily and well, able to charm those looking into buying, and she and my aunt were the face of the store.

"I need a silver chain," I announced from behind her. She startled, holding her hand to her chest as her heart beat fast. It was a bad habit of mine, I walked quietly and often startled people on accident. My mother turned to me with a sharp look. I knew she wasn't truly mad, there were only a few dwarves mingling in the shop and I hadn't distracted her from any of them, but she still gave me a stern look.

"You should announce yourself better Kelila," she admonished me, shaking her head. "Are you done with the Shemersson piece yet?" I opened my palm and revealed the small pendant. She nodded thoughtfully, "Very well done Kelila."

I smiled brightly, "Thank you Mother." She hummed in response as she rummaged through her various drawers, finally pulling out a thin silver chain, the dainty links barely visible they were so small. I took it from her and ran it through the pendant, hooking it so the chain was closed. "I think I'll deliver it to them myself today," I told her, my eyes focused on the chain.

"Why?" my mother asked, and when I looked at her, her eyebrows were raised in question. "Your cousins will gladly do it and save you the trouble."

I sighed, "I just wanted to stretch my legs, I haven't been out of the store in a few days."

"Alright then," my mother waved me off, "Go on, they'll be pleased that you took the time to deliver it yourself, perhaps you'll make yourself a new client."

I smiled, happy to get out. As much as I loved my work, Korach was right, I needed to get out for a bit. I grabbed a soft silk bag from my mother's desk and slipped the pendant in, pulling the ties at the top of the bag to close it. I tucked it in a pouch on my belt, taking off my gloves and putting them in a different one.

The moment I stepped out of our shop and into the market I was bombarded by sounds and smells. I could hear the shuffling of hundreds of people and the loud voices of dwarves bartering and haggling. I inhaled deeply as the smell of fresh bread tickled my nose; the baker lived only a couple of doors down and the smell was heavenly. I brushed off my skirts with my hands, knocking flecks of metal off and onto the ground, and with a quick adjustment of my bodice, I dove into the crowd.

Despite not liking crowds, or being squished between Dwarves, I found the different from the shop liberating. It was warmer among the crowd, the bodies of hundreds of dwarrow and dwarrowdams heating the large space. Fighting through the crowd was like swimming upstream, but luckily I was small -even for a dwarf- and wormed my way between people easily.

Lord Sodor Shemersson lived high above the markets, his home nestled between the homes of other lords, their rank and nobility increasing the closer they came to the royal chambers. The Shemersson house was in the outer ring, Sodor's status as a lesser lord gave him proximity to the royal chambers, but he was still closer to the markets and peasant rooms than others.

As I walked up several flights of stairs I almost regretted my decision, being cooped up in the shop for days on end made me tire easily. I was glad that there were less Dwarves up here, and while the guard was doubled up here I payed them no mind. It got progressively colder as I climbed, my plain work dress not made to keep out the chill. I was almost to the Shemersson house when I realized that perhaps I had not dressed well enough to be in the company of nobility. My dress was gray, loose and made for comfort rather than style. The material was worn and stretched, there were even small holes in some places. It was not even always mine, I received it from my older, taller, and overall larger cousin. While her style was simple and matched mine well enough, the ill-fitting and obvious age of the dress would make me stand out in the worst way if anyone of importance were to see me.

I picked at my skirts self-consciously as I approached the door, my hand raised to knock but I almost lost my nerve. I shook my head and forced myself to do it, I already came all this way, I wasn't going back now. My fist rapped lightly on the wooden door, almost as if despite my conviction it didn't want to be heard. I waited for a moment, then another, and as I was about to leave the door swung open and Lord Sodor stood on the other side.

Lord Sodor was a stout Dwarf, about as average looking as any, and held no special importance in appearance or voice. He was plain, but his personality more than made up for it. Everyone in Erebor knew about his eccentricism, some considered him a joke, but others respected his differences. While all Dwarves are loud and boisterous, his friendly and joking far exceeded what was considered normal. While I had only met him a handful of times, I knew well that he was truly as everyone said. When he came into the shop to place his order, he spent several hours socialising with anyone he could drag into conversation. It was not that Lord Sodor was disliked, or that his attention was disrespectful, it was simply that it tended to get overbearing after a while.

I bowed respectively -again tugging on my skirt- before speaking. "My Lord, the necklace you commissioned is complete."

He visibly brightened, "Come in, come in, show me what you've done!" I followed awkwardly as he lead me into the sitting room, taking the chair by the fire. I sat on the couch next to him and quickly pulled out my gloves, less nervous and self-conscious now that I could focus on my work. Once my gloves covered my hands, I reached for the silk purse and pulled it out, quickly opening it and dropping the pendant into my hand. I held it for Sodor to see and he smiled. "Absolutely lovely, exactly as I pictured it." He turned to look at me, "Did you make this yourself?"

I smiled and replied, "I did, although some others had a hand in the design." I felt pride well up in my chest as the lord continued to ask me about it and the process I went through to complete it. I answered all his questions with enthusiasm, talking about my work made me almost as happy as making it. I took great pride in what I did, and moments like these certainly fed it.

"Please, stay here while I fetch my daughter," Sodor asked, "I'd like for you to see her happiness when she receives it." He left quickly before I could respond, so I remained, sitting before the fire and wishing I could have just left. The giving and receiving of a gift was a personal moment, far too intimate for a stranger like myself. I fiddled constantly as I waited, and by the time Lord Sodor and his daughter returned I had undone my braid and redone it several times. "Miss Kelila, I'd like for you to meet my daughter, Sava." He motioned to a young dwarrowdam next to him.

I stood quickly and bowed, smiling at her. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She nodded but said nothing, seemingly shy. As Lord Sodor moved to reclaim his seat, I switched to the farther end of the couch so father and daughter could sit nearer each other. I watched with a pleased smile as he presented his daughter with the simple necklace, and moved quickly to help when he asked me to put it on her.

It looked beautiful one her neck, the ruby matching her bright red hair and bringing out the shine in her eyes. She fingered it lightly and I resisted the urge to slap her hand away. Too soon her fingers left smudges on the surface of the gem and dulled it just a little. She was obviously pleased and jumped up to hug her father, then, to my surprise, me. I held her and she clung to me, repeating her thanks. Once she realized what she had done she backed off quickly, but soon forgot her shyness again as she looked down at it.

"Oh, it's perfect," she breathed, "Who designed it? Did you?" She turned to look at me with an earnest expression.

"I did not, actually, my cousin Korach designed it for me."

Her eyes snapped to me and it seemed as if her blush deepened. "Korach?" she asked. Confused, I nodded.

"Perhaps you should pay him a visit and thank him as well," her father added in from behind us, his smile sly and a glint in his eye that was more than mischievous. Sava shook her head quickly, almost breaking her neck with how fast it snapped back and forth. Her father laughed at her, though not in a mean way. "Ah, well, perhaps another time."

"I am pleased you are happy with your gift," I started, making to leave and go back to the shop. Hopefully where I wouldn't have to talk to anyone outside of my family for a while. As kind as Lord Sodor and his daughter were, conversation with them made me tired. "It's been wonderful, thank you."

I was nearly out the door when Sava rushed towards me. She gripped my sleeve and stared up at me. "You must come for dinner sometime soon," she implored, and I agreed hastily, though I wasn't planning on taking them up on their offer.

Back at my desk I sighed in relief, the strangeness of the Shemersson family reminded me of why I didn't take breaks, or deliver. I looked over at Korach's desk and saw him over halfway done, his brow furrowed in concentration as he worked quickly. At this rate he'd be finished before Grandfather's deadline, and he'd get his pay. I smiled proudly, though he couldn't see it, and turned to the pile of work before me. With a determined grin, I dove back into my work.

 **Please review, I live off of attention! I plan on updating on Saturdays, possibly Fridays if I finish writing and proofreading early. I'd love to hear your opinions!**


	2. Chapter 2

There were weeks that go by in which I almost drown in my work, stacks of projects piled on my desk as myself and everyone around me struggle to keep up with the demand for our services. Then, there are weeks where there isn't enough to go around. Usually it has to do with upcoming events; parties, celebrations, any large gathering of people drove many to our door looking for something to impress. Any type of celebration for a Lord is even worse.

Were a Lord or a Lady to wear an outfit that they have worn before, and were _caught_ doing such a thing, then the other nobility would descend upon them like a pack of bloodthirsty goblins. It made absolutely no sense to me, but it kept us in good business. The constant demand for new and exciting was tiring, but it was also profitable. Lords and Ladies were our best customers, and while dealing with them could be irksome, it was also what put food on our very large table.

I had to remind myself of this constantly as I sat across from Lady Dita.

She was a stout dwarrowdam, as most tend to be, and her well groomed beard fell in soft waves to brush the top of her heaving bosom. She was quite lovely, her eyes a beautiful and deep blue, but her mouth was twisted into an almost permanent scowl. As she sat across from me I admired her ramrod straight back and impeccable posture, her hands folded neatly in her lap, though I suspected she'd rather have them wrapped around my neck.

"My Lady," I started, my hands reaching forward in a placating manner, "I can take notes of your order and leave them for Korach, I'm sure he'd-"

She cut me off abruptly, "No, I will not have my design muddled by word of mouth, does he not care enough about this business, his clients, to show his face and receive my order himself?" She phrased it as a question but it felt more like a demand.

I began to sweat, Lady Dita was an important client, her status and money good for us, but since Korach made her a pendant she had decided only he could handle her business. I looked to my mother for help but she only looked back helplessly. "Korach is currently on an important errand, I am sure I can convey your wishes to him if you just-"

"No, I want Korach," now she began to sound like a petulant child, demanding her favorite toy.

I wracked my brain for anything that would make her calm down and leave in a good mood. "What if, when he comes back, I send him to you and he can take your order personally in your home?" I begged Mahal that she would be alright with that, it would save her a second trip here and hopefully make her feel special that we made a house call.

She smiled, obviously pleased. "That will do, but make sure he dresses as one fit to roam the halls of nobility." With that she stood up, nose upturned at me, and strode out with the grace and pomp of one closely related to the Durin line.

As soon as she had left I slouched into my chair, looking to my mother across the room. "Where is Korach?" I sighed, almost not caring to know the answer.

"No one knows," she replied, her voice apologetic. "Chana says he wasn't in his room this morning." Chana, Korach's mother, was a strict woman, and I had no doubt in my mind that once Korach came back he'd be facing the legendary wrath of his mother. I couldn't be mad at him knowing he'd be facing the dragon that was his mother, but my meeting with Lady Dita left me irritated.

"Do you need me?"

"As long as you have most of your work done, I don't see why we would."

"May I take a break then?" I smiled hopefully up at her, letting out a short cheer when she nodded and allowed me to go. "I'll be back before Korach," I laughed, and she did too.

I floated with the crowd at the market, letting the tide of people lead me. I had no where I really wanted to go, there was no destination set in my mind, I just didn't want to have to deal with another cranky noble. Before I was even aware of it, I had lost the crowd. The hall I had wound up in was almost empty, a couple busy dwarves passing by in a heated discussion. It was colder here, either because of how empty it was or because it lead farther down I don't know, but the cool air felt nice against my skin.

I wandered the lower halls for quite some time, running my hand along the rough stone walls. The ceiling was lower down here, and the walls weren't polished like they were above. It was darker too, and without the scones lit every couple of feet, I wouldn't have been able to see. It was so quiet that when I first started hearing voices, I assumed they were just around the corner, but minutes of walking later and I felt no closer to their location. They got louder, but almost untraceable, as if it came from every direction at once. It was disorienting but it made me curious, I could barely catch what they were saying, but it sounded important. As curious as I was, I also began to feel immense guilt. Who was I to listen in on someone else's conversation? To stalk them down for no other reason than boredom and curiosity?

I stopped in the hall, ready to turn back, when I heard it.

"Dis will never see it coming."

I felt my whole body freeze, my heart practically ice it felt so cold. Then everything sped up, my heart jackhammered in my chest and my head spun. Lady Dis? The King's sister? The mother of the heirs to the throne? I had no idea what to do, part of me wanted to run, to flee whatever I had stumbled into, another wanted to run straight to Dis and inform her. But inform her of what? I didn't _know_ anything. All I heard was that something was going to surprise Lady Dis, it could be good, it could be fun for her.

It could be so, horribly bad.

Assassination attempts on the royal family were not unheard of, in fact, they had been attempted already. Why Lady Dis? Why not an heir, or even the King? It made no sense, but I couldn't help my mind from searching for answers. I couldn't go to anyone with the fragment of a conversation I heard, no one would listen. Against everything in me, I knew I needed to learn more.

I continued down the hall, every step feeling like my feet were sinking into the very stone. It took a long time but finally I found them, two large dwarves standing huddled together at a fork in the hall. They were on the left path, their backs mostly to me, and so I pressed myself against the wall, preparing to bolt down the right corridor if they noticed me.

"We have a dwarf on the inside, he-" one spoke quickly, his voice nasally and rough.

"Yes, the servant, I know," the other responded. "How do we know he won't talk? What assurances do we have?"

"He knows his place, and some dwarven gold in the right hands will help us keep this secret," he laughed. "His help will be invaluable however; more than worth the gold. He'll make sure Dis doesn't stumble upon our plans."

"It seems you have this all figured out, but what of the king?"

"The king?" he asked as if it was an absurd question. "Who's idea do you think this was?"

I gasped, I couldn't help it. They whipped around and saw me, their eyes widening in surprise, then anger. My feet reacted before I could and I took off down the hall, running as fast as my short legs could carry me. I heard them chasing after me, the sound of their heavy boots on the stone floor fueling my fear.

It wasn't long before I was in the heart of the mountain, the forges burning bright orange and illuminating the way. I felt sweat drip down my back as I ran, the crowd of dwarves working and moving around the large forges making me hope for salvation. I dared not look behind me, I could hear them still following, but I knew if I looked back I'd surely fall. I darted between dwarves, knocking into some and causing them to yell after me. I tried to lose myself in the crowd, and only once I felt like I had weaved a maze as my trail, did I turn to look behind me.

In that moment, as my heart soared knowing that there was no one chasing me, I bumped into someone. I spun quickly, ready to apologize, when my stomach dropped to my toes.

"Y-Your majesty," I gasped, horror written all over my face. The King Under the Mountain stood before me, his proud majesty flooding my senses and causing my breath to catch in my chest. I had never seen him before, and just as I caught myself thinking him as handsome as the rumors said, I remembered what I heard. _The king? Who's idea do you think this was?_ I stumbled backwards, falling on my rear and staring up in horror. Before he could even react, I stood, and once again ran as fast as I could.

Before I could breach the crowd and return to my home, a voice caught my attention. "Kelila!" a familiar voice shouted above the sounds of the smith's hammers. "Kelila wait!" Behind me Korach was shouting my name, and as I scanned the crowd I knew that both the king and his goons had heard. Tears pricked my eyes, threatening to spill in front of all of these people. Korach jogged to catch up to me, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

As soon as he was close I grabbed his arm in a vice grip. "Run," I whispered, fear evident in my eyes as well as the crack in my voice. He looked startled, but I gave him no time to process as I dragged him behind me.

Once back to our family's store I ignore the questions he bombarded me with. He followed behind me, firing them off one right after the other but before I opened the front door I shushed him, the glare I wore daring him to defy me. We brushed past my mother and aunt in the front room, and even in the back room Chana strode forward to reprimand Korach, but I waved her off with a stern, "Not now." Up the stairs and in my grandfather's study I locked the door, making sure we stayed alone.

"Kelila, what is going on?" his tone was earnest, more serious than I had heard it in a long time. I didn't answer, I couldn't, my heart was still trying to beat its way out of my chest and I didn't even know what to tell him. "Kelila?"

"I don't know," I confessed, tears of fear and confusion leaking out and running down my cheeks. "I honestly don't know Korach."

I looked up at him and he seemed lost, as far as I knew he hadn't seen me cry since we were mere dwarflings. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." He sighed in relief. "I think I heard something I wasn't meant to." I told him what I heard, trying to stay as close to verbatim as I could. Korach listened intently, nodding along and when I was finished we both sunk into the couches in silence.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" he asked after a while.

I sighed, "Yeah, I think we are."

 **Hi all! Please review! Next week I may update late just because I have a family vacation and I won't be home or have internet until next weekend. Thanks!**


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